THANKS for stopping by, I do my best to acknowledge when someone leaves a comment,you do not have to be a member here & everyone is welcome.
Ps: This site is monitored but not actively posting on a regular basis. Mostly these are stories & some photos saved from a defunct site known as Verdun Connections which was on MSN Groups initially then on a social network called Multiply.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

What you can find in the St Lawrence River .

2 comments:

OT­TAWA, Au­gust 21, 2009 -​ The Hon­ourable Jim Pren­tice, Cana­da's En­vi­ron­ment Min­is­ter and Min­is­ter re­spon­si­ble for Parks Cana­da con­firmed that the plane dis­cov­ered by Parks Cana­da un­der­wa­ter ar­chae­ol­o­gists off the coast of the vil­lage of Longue-​Pointe-​de-​Min­gan in Que­bec is the wreck­age of a U.S. Army Air Force plane lost in 1942. No hu­man re­mains were seen dur­ing the op­er­a­tion this week, which was con­duct­ed prin­ci­pal­ly on the ex­te­ri­or of the sunken air­craft. A re­mote­ly op­er­at­ed ve­hi­cle (ROV) is used to view a downed World War II air­craft deep in the wa­ters of the St. Lawrence. The video shows the nose of the air­craft, the front wheel well, di­ag­o­nal struts sup­port­ing the wings, wheel of side land­ing gear and the cock­pit seen from the co-​pi­lot’s side. The video al­so fea­tures Parks Cana­da un­der­wa­ter ar­chae­ol­o­gists ap­proach­ing the nose of the air­craft and ex­am­in­ing the side of the air­craft.

Zimmerman was described as an experienced airman who’d spent 13 years as a commercial pilot with Transcontinental and Western Air.

He had reportedly logged more than two million air miles when he joined the army in April 1942, two years after he piloted a "record-breaking Los Angeles to New York flight in a giant Boeing Stratoliner."

He was awarded the Legion of Merit a month after the crash, according to another AP story.

"As control officer, North Atlantic Wing, Air Forces Ferrying Command, Colonel Zimmerman was responsible for the movement through this wing of all aircraft equipment to foreign stations," the citation stated.

"Colonel Zimmerman flew over the North Atlantic route in order to familiarize himself with the pioneering hazards incidental to this shipping lane."

According to the War Department, the plane had completed the first leg of a routine flight and was taking off for the return trip to base when it capsized in rough weather.

Recent sonar data indicates the seaplane is in good condition and that human remains may be found.

Parks Canada said Canada and the United States will work together to salvage the wreckage and to explore the possibility of eventually recovering the remains of the missing crew members.

Federal cabinet minister Christian Paradis was at the scene on Thursday along with U.S. diplomats.

"This is a very significant discovery," said Paradis, who was acting on behalf of Environment Minister Jim Prentice.

"This plane is a testament to the collaboration between Canada and the U.S. during the Second World War. It also rekindles memories of courage and strength for the community of Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan in Quebec, which was involved in the rescue of four survivors of the downed plane, and it reminds us of the courage and sacrifices experienced by all those who don the uniform."

David Fetter, the U.S. consul general in Quebec, said the process has been an excellent example of the spirit of co-operation between both countries.

"The United States government was extremely interested to learn of the discovery of the wreckage, and we look forward to working with our Canadian friends to verify the identity of the aircraft," Fetter said.